The Yadan Law was based on international current events, particularly the situation in the Middle East, in an attempt to

Stéphane Peu, PCF deputy of Seine-Saint-Denis and president of the GDR group at the National Assembly, was the political guest on Franceinfo. He discussed the withdrawal of the reform around Labor Day, negotiations with bakers and florists, and the temporary abandonment of the Yadan law against new forms of antisemitism.

Serge Cimino: The first question is simple: is the battle around Labor Day over or not? The Prime Minister, as seen in the news, is set to meet with representatives of bakers and florists this afternoon. Is he trying to renegotiate the holiday rule, off-work and paid?

Stéphane Peu: First, we managed to defeat the law brought forward by Gabriel Attal and supported by Marine Le Pen, hand in hand. This law, supposedly aimed at helping artisan bakers and florists to open, was actually a big lie. In reality, the text proposed by Gabriel Attal mainly allowed large supermarkets to open: both food and gardening stores.

It effectively broadened the scope of sectors affected up to now.

Artisan bakers were a marginal part. The main concern was the large supermarkets. In total, one and a half million employees were affected by this bill.

It should be noted that there was a bill, a preliminary rejection motion was filed by those defending the text, and the Prime Minister suspended the joint committee between deputies and senators. The law is therefore, for now, postponed, but he seems to be working on negotiations between stakeholders.

Yes, and that seems normal to me. When we saw how Gabriel Attal wanted to impose this law at all costs, without a real parliamentary debate, we proposed a vote of no confidence to the other left-wing groups, especially to the communist group. In addition, the union coalition has been reestablished, as it was three years ago during the pension debate, to say: stop.

So, in a way, we caught the government in a bind: on the one hand, left-wing parliamentarians, with our initiative, with a vote of no confidence; on the other hand, the unions. The Prime Minister then made, in my opinion, a wise decision: to withdraw this bill and affirm that we cannot legislate on work by crushing both Parliament and social dialogue.

If I understand correctly: a wise decision by the Prime Minister, victory for a left also reconstituted, in the image of the union front. But are these ongoing discussions indicating that you would be willing to consider some concessions for bakers and florists? Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT, said she is not opposed to the opening of bakeries but seems more reserved regarding florists, especially because May 1st is also an important day for selling lilies of the valley for the Communist Party.

Without going into too much detail, the situation varies by sector. For artisan bakers, there is a collective agreement. Within this, signed by all unions, including the CGT, it is possible to find a specific arrangement for May 1st.

On the other hand, in the florist sector, there is no equivalent collective agreement. The perimeter is much wider than just artisan florists. It would be necessary to return to a logic similar to that of bakers: focus on craftsmanship.

So you fear a generalized opening? In Gabriel Attal’s text, it was about retail. Are you afraid that this will benefit mainly large supermarkets rather than small businesses?

Exactly. The collective agreement for florists should be limited, like for bakeries, to the artisanal sector. In this case, I think there is a way to reach a compromise.

A compromise that would involve negotiation with unions?

Yes, through a sector-wide agreement.

Another parliamentary news: yesterday, the withdrawal of the Yadan law, named after Renaissance deputy Caroline Yadan. She aimed to combat new forms of antisemitism. Her opponents, including you, believe it was a freedom-restricting text intended to prohibit any criticism of Israel. The Prime Minister announced that a new bill could be presented in June 2026. Is this a victory for you, even if the text will return later?

The text will indeed return. The Prime Minister has expressed the desire to open a cross-party dialogue to find a consensus.

Like many, we are deeply concerned about the rise of antisemitism. The increase in antisemitic acts and statements is extremely worrying for every republican and democrat. I remind you that one of the main laws currently used to punish antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and racism is the Gayssot law, brought forth by a communist deputy, Jean-Claude Gayssot. We are therefore particularly vigilant on this issue.

But the Yadan law was based on a different logic. It relied on international affairs, notably the situation in the Middle East, to try to criminalize any criticism of the State of Israel. This is absolutely unacceptable and, I would even go further, counterproductive. Because today, I believe the main factor fueling antisemitism in the world is the policy pursued by the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, which tramples on international law.